One of our two main activities on the Dayton Trip was to do a VBS for kids of East Dayton hosted by Emmanuel Baptist Church. There were so many good lessons and takeaways that came out of this opportunity, but I prefer stories to telling lessons, so allow me to tell you another good one.
One of the little girls we got to hang out with at VBS was named Pandora. She was a cute, little redhead who loved to sit on our girls’ laps and both show and receive affection. But what started as a cute kid to whom our girls got a chance to show the love of Jesus, quickly became a humbling lesson.
One day our girls were talking with the kids and Marie asked Pandora if she liked bagels. Pandora said they were too big for her mouth, so Marie logically replied that you can cut them with a knife. It was then that Pandora told her that they didn’t have a knife at home because her mom couldn’t afford one.
Later in the week she asked to take her shoes off in gym because she had a blister because her shoes were too small and she couldn’t afford new ones.
Pandora lives right off Wayne Ave. We passed her house all week. I pass her house frequently. And yet her life is vastly different from mine.
We were able to buy her shoes and it felt great to do that for her, but it doesn’t change the fact that her life is drastically different than ours. And yet God is still pursuing her.
Pandora’s story reminds us of the very real reality of poverty all around us, but along with that we are reminded that God is pursuing every single person, whether they share our level of material resources or not. I pray that we can be his agents in the lives of all those around us.
No comments:
Post a Comment